Created
in 1932 by George Sebastian, Hammamet garden covers an area of 14 acres
and gathers more than 300 species of plants. The strictly personal choice
of plants was inspired from traditional landscaping models of groves in
this region of Tunisia, but it also answered a special interest in acclimatizing
various tropical species of plants on this side of the Mediterranean. This
approach was the start of a new fashion that rapidly spread to all of the
northern parts of Tunisia.

The Sabstian estate was bought by the Tunisian government in 1962 and was
transformed into an International Cultural Center. The estate and the garden
were thus preserved despite the spectacular development of tourism.